Bobaflex – Interview with Marty McCoy

Bobaflex – Interview with vocalist/guitarist Marty McCoy

Interview by Kirsty Birkett-Stubbs

Ancient feuds, record label belly-ups, and the inevitable changes in line up – it’s almost beyond the stuff of rock ‘n’ roll, but it’s everyday fare for Bobaflex. These American rockers have rolled with more than their fair share of punches, but merely tightened their gun belts and carried on with a nod and a grin. Led by the brotherly duo of Marty and Shaun McCoy, Bobaflex have just brought their latest release Hell In My Heart to the UK market proper and they’re not coming quietly…

Before we get down to business proper, I understand there’s a bit of an interesting family history in terms of your connection to the Hatfield-McCoy feud – what’s that all about?

Marty McCoy (MM) – You can’t be from West Virginia and be a McCoy without being tied to the family feud.

Is it something that you still play up to quite strongly, or is it quite literally left in the past only to be dragged out by journalists like me ;)?

MM – We have received a lot of press because of our last name. That’s a good thing. We leave the fighting and murdering in the past. Lol!

Now I believe your latest album Hell In My Heart has actually been out since 2011, but that it has just had its first official release in the UK – what took you so long? 😉

MM – If ya want something done, you have to do it yourself.

Is the UK an important market in your eyes?

MM – Absolutely!!!! The UK have given the world so much amazing music. We want to walk the same streets and play the same clubs as our heroes.

Have you been hearing ground things on the ground about the album’s reception?

MM – Yes we have. It’s a kick ass rock record and the people like things that kick ass!!!!

With these songs having already been available for some time, do you think a lot of people are coming to Hell In My Heart knowing what it’s about, or is there still a fresh audience out there?

MM – There is always a fresh audience out there. The Earth is huge and MTV and Vh1 are concerned with pregnant teens and drunk Jersey kids. We gain new fans everyday through touring and social media.

The years leading up to Hell In My Heart had been pretty crazy for you as a band with changes in line-up and your record label – it’s almost like a cliché rock star film plot 😉

MM – Sounds like a great movie to me.

How did all of that affect you as a band?

MM – What doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger.

Do you believe some of that influenced the sound and feel of Hell In My Heart?

MM – Oh Yeah!!! Hell In My Heart is the sound of a band breaking through all the negatives to make a record. We survived divorce, failing record labels, and even a few deaths to make the album. It’s a long, extend middle finger to everyone who stood in our way.

Interestingly on the album you also opted to cover Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘The Sound Of Silence’ – it’s not an expected combination but it works wonderfully 🙂 – did you just want to make people’s heads turn with that choice?

MM – We actually didn’t think much about it. We learned it, recorded it and crossed our fingers that it would turn out cool. Once we listened to the play back, we knew it had to go on the record.

Nearly all of the band now contribute vocals – you obviously don’t have competing egos for full control then?

MM – No one man could control this band!!!

How did you come upon this approach? Was it preconceived or almost accidental?

MM – It’s what bands we grew up on did. It just seemed normal. If you can sing, you should.

You’re on tour for much of the next few months – anything of note happening there?